This class is designed for beginners to learn professional level techniques used in small mammal taxidermy. By focusing on the facial features, students will create a rabbit or jackalope  shoulder mount that can be affixed to a plaque or hung as is.

Students will learn proper skinning and fleshing procedures, how to split, turn and position facial features, including the ears, proper preservation techniques, grooming, and the traditional methods of sculpting and carving a bust to create a shoulder mount form.

Students can choose to create a natural display, or create a jackalope/hybrid creature using antler pieces, or sculpting their own. As always, students are also welcome to bring their own props or accessories if desired.

Each student will leave class with a fully finished piece, and the knowledge to create their own pieces in the future. It is recommended students bring a bag or box to transport their pieces.

Divya Anantharaman is an award winning professional taxidermist based in New York City. Her taxidermy practice was sparked by a lifelong fascination with the intersection of natural mythology and science, and she specializes in birds, small mammals, and anatomic anomalies. With a combination of self and professional training, she creates both fantasy and traditional pieces, and teaches classes around the world. Her most recent honor is winning second place in the professional division at the World Taxidermy Championships of 2017, her work is on display in the Chamber of Wonders at the Walter’s Art Museum, and has been profiled in numerous publications as varied as National Geographic, The NY Times, The Cut, BBC Science Radio, and on hit Discovery/Science Channel TV show Oddities. She is also a board member of the New England Association of Taxidermists, and has coauthored the book “Stuffed Animals” being released by W.W. Norton this fall. You can find out more at www.friendsforevertaxidermy.com